Constant "silly talk"
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Anonymous
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Five year old DD has mixed expressive/receptive speech delay. Her processing speed is quite slow and she is significantly impaired, though she is able to have a basic conversation and express her basic thoughts, wants and needs.
I've noticed in the past few weeks a great increase in "silly talk" - she gets giggly and goofy and won't give me a straight answer or have a normal conversation. She will say things that make no sense and are out of context. I know she lapses into this when she isn't sure what is expected of her or faces something challenging, such as during speech therapy - but it is also happening more often at home. I'm trying really hard not to lose patience, and will show her my confusion when she says something that makes no sense. For example, when we walked in the door this afternoon after I picked her up at pre-k she announced "Dena is getting in her car" with a giggle. Now, Dena is in her class and wasn't present, and this statement was totally out of context. My DD seems to be aware of this and giggles at my confusion. She might add something lime "she's in the pretty driveway!" Again, makes no sense and unrelated to anything going on in the present moment. DD does have the ability to engage in appropriate conversation, and had recent gone through a burst in speech development, but now we seem to be taking three steps forward, two steps back. Sorry I'm rambling on - just wanted to know if this behavior is familiar to anyone, and if so, what is your child's diagnosis? |
Anonymous
| This is called being a five year old. |
Anonymous
This. Try to relax and ignore if it drives you nuts. Another good strategy is to ask her leading questions about something - even if it's silly. Like, "I wonder if our car can grow wings and fly". Then go ahead and have a conversation about totally improbable silly stuff. She's been in school all day, holding it together, so when she sees you she knows she can relax and be a goofball. |
Anonymous
| My DS is four and he does similar things. I think, it is pretty normal because I see this behavior in other children in his preschool class as well. |
Anonymous
| another perspective....My DS does this (says nonsensical words out of context). He has ADHD (innatentive type). He does this (along with generally making noises) to keep himself focused while at school. So, it could just be being 5 yrs old, or there could be another level to it. |
Anonymous
| My NT 6 yr old who is very intelligent does this. Sometimes it sound completely out of context so I've started asking him "What does that have to do with ______? I'll be damned if he doesn't explain it in a way that does make sense. He just isn't the "straight line between A and B" thinker that I am. |
Anonymous
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Jargon as your SLP would call it or “silly talk” isn’t uncommon with kids with expressive/receptive speech delays. She may not be trying to be silly; the giggling could be trying to find a way to extend her processing time so she can find the right words. (Some kids will say “um” a lot to do this.)
Try not to let it irritate you. There might be going on more in her head then she can express verbally. The next time she says something seemingly unconnected, you can always respond, “Oh?” Give her time to elaborate or just be silly—not the worse thing in the world. 
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Anonymous
| I am just so shocked at people trying to find a problem in their children. OP, this is a "normal" 5 year old. Lighten up and laugh along with your daughter. She seems like she has a great imagination and you should try it. |
Anonymous
| My mostly NT son did this at 5 and 6. Frankly it drove me nuts because it's not actually cute and it sounds stupid. I agree that sometimes weirdness is just a developmental phase and not a delay. I would ask but it sounds on track to me. Stupid, but on track. |
Anonymous
| Kids are just weird. OP - sounds normal. |
Anonymous
Agree. |
Anonymous
| I have an ADHD kid that is 9 and still doing far more silly talk than I care for and her 5 year old brother loves it. One of the things I realized recently is she uses it when she is feeling anxious or stressed. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like a yeast flare to me. Overgrowth of yeast/fungus can cause this kind of ridiculous behavior. |
Anonymous
This. |
Anonymous
No one is looking for problems. When you have a child with SN, especially if it is your first child, it is really hard to know what is part of the SN and what is part of being a typical kid. You don't want to brush things off as normal behavior then find out later it wasn't. Sometimes too a behavior is normal on its own but the SN child does it with a greater frequency or intensity or can't turn it off or uses it in situations that a NT kid wouldn't. Asking on a discussion board for clarification about a behavior is a great way to get feedback about what is typical and what is concerning. |